Today post is very long, but I wanted to cover some important topics. There’s an audio version too (you’re choice)
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First, I want to thank you for stepping up to take on this challenge. We all need you to share your amazing work with the world, and creating this offering is going to help you do even better things. It takes courage & stamina, which you’ve clearly got in spades! Thank you!
I’m hesitant to tell you this:
but I think it’s pretty important, and may help you get to the finish line faster.
This product does not need to be something you will sell one year from now. It might be ugly, embarrassing or never sell. It’s possible.
I want you to give it your best shot anyway, and finish regardless of how imperfect it might be.
Why? Because it’s just the beginning. Once you create this one, you’ll know what it feels like to be full circle in this process & you’ll be more apt to do it again, building your online business to be strong, robust & able to run even if you take some time off.
It’s not going to happen overnight. But this step you’re taking right now will get you so much closer.
Throughout the 2 weeks we’re together here, I’ll remind you more than once how important it is to set your ego aside. Tune me out if you need to – but it’s important for many people to hear, so I’ll keep repeating it. I have my own ego stories too – about a lovely time in my life where ego gave me a 3 month holiday. Those 3 months taught me the most amazing lessons – but that’s a story for another day.
Sometimes the hardest part of creating (or finishing) is deciding what to focus on. I’m going to present you with a big list of ideas on day 2. But for today I want to just ask you some questions (in a few minutes). If you know what you want to create already, great. If you don’t, take some time to think about these questions & see if something doesn’t just pop into your mind.
Keep in mind the 14 Day Product Challenge is meant to be a product people can purchase from you before they’ve had a chance to get to know you.
It might also be for someone who wants to work with you, but money is tight right now. It will give them a chance to experience how you work, create a virtual relationship with you, but on their own terms.
Sometimes we’re tempted to pour out everything we know into our first product or offering.
We want them to know everything we’ve been wanting to teach. Try to restrain yourself. This isn’t about overwhelming them with information, but helping them to solve one problem they’re facing.
What am I talking about?
Well, let’s use this challenge as an example. One of the biggest problems my clients face is inconsistent income streams. Often working very, very hard and bringing in decent income, and then taking time off and really struggling to get by. It’s hard to watch, because I’ve gone through it so many times myself. I know how it creates stress on family, relationships, our physical body and our self confidence.
And I also know that having at least 1 product that can be sold when we’re out doing our other work, or in the lean times, can make the difference from nothing coming in, to at least having enough in our paypal account to pay our website hosting (trust me, this happened to me more times than I can count – super embarrassing).
I know that creating a product with a tangible value also opens up the doors to JV opportunities, blog reviews and a new tier of customer who can work with you prior to investing in coaching, programs or live events.
That’s why I’ve been trying to encourage people 1:1 to finish their products, but it wasn’t working. I would end up doing it for them (or trying) and roadblocks would show up each and every time. I know that it’s not just about the physical act of completing a project, but the emotions that are tied up in completing. The thoughts of “who am I to teach this?” or “why would anyone listen to me?” that get muddled up with technical challenges. We know we help people in person, but in a digital version it’s a little bit scary.
I knew I needed to deliver this in a different method. And that’s what I’m asking you to consider today too.
How can you help your ideal customer get past a hurdle that keeps them from reaching other goals they want to reach?
- Is there a common obstacle that many of them face?
- And is there a super easy solution that you can see, but they don’t seem to see?
- Something you’ve blogged about, but people didn’t really listen to?
- Or maybe it struck a nerve in a blog post (or 2 or 3) but you’re still not seeing the results you’d like?
The answer isn’t far away. You don’t need to think about this for days or weeks. Just sit with a blank sheet of paper for a few moments & then start writing.
Maybe start by writing out the question. “What would I love to help my customer with?” and see what your pen writes. It might surprise you.
After you have your answer to how you’d like to help. Think of all of the resources you already have
- youtube videos
- blog posts
- short reports
- email conversations with clients in your sent folder
- notes in your journal or on your computer
- content from a bigger program you’re in the middle of creating
Start brainstorming items you could pull together and then ask yourself.
How does my ideal customer learn best?
- Do they like watching videos?
- Do they listen to your talks on their ipod?
- Do they print out reports and write on them longhand?
- Do they want an email every day for a week from you?
Once again, don’t spend too long on this. You can make adjustments over the next 14 days.In fact, you should make adjustments.
I often start out thinking I’ll create just a PDF, and it turns into tutorial videos and a much smaller report and checklists. Or I just scrap the entire thing, invite people to attend a live webinar, record it & send out the recording with a checklist or report after.
This is a work in progress. As you get farther into the challenge you’ll feel more confidence & I have a surprise project that will help keep you motivated to reach the finish line.
But for now, for today. Answer these two questions for yourself.
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What would I love to help my customer with?
-
How does my customer like to learn?
Tomorrow we’re going to look at 101 variations to put this product together (I’m not actually sure there is 101, but it sounded like a fun number) and I’ll encourage you to get started right away..
During the week we’ll spend some time tweaking & then do another big push on the weekend, before wrapping up on Friday the 27th
I’ll reveal the surprise to you during the 2nd weekend – with the hopes it will keep you motivated to finish. I usually finish mine in 3-7 days, so stretching it out for 2 weeks is always interesting (for me). I’m so glad you’re up for this challenge. I can hardly wait to see what you create!!
Big love to you!
p.s. if you haven’t already signed up for the 14 Day Product Challenge, please click through and add your name to the email list. Each day you’ll receive an email prompt & links to other resources I’m only sharing with registered participants.
I came across your site by a link that someone tweeted. I just signed up, thank you for this challenge, it looks fantastic!
Great to have you here with us Nicole! Can’t wait to see what you create.
Hi Loralee,
Well my answers as as follows for now.
Thanks I am excited for day 2.
Many hugs,
Jen
Hi lorallee
Can you please tell us, are you doing this program on your blog so there is activity on your site rather than Facebook?
And is all of the 14 day program and our conversations viewable publicly for anyone who is not doing the challenge?
Thanks
Deb
Anything you write here is publicly view-able, but you also have access to the private Facebook group if there is something you’d like to keep more private. And yes, I’m hosting it here, so that people who were interested, but not yet ready, could experience it without needing to sign up. It’s an experiment.
Great Idea Loralee!!
Wow, a challenge. Going to watch how this will go with the progress. I have just finished my latest paid pdf report though and haven’t had any project yet.
From the products I learned that my costumer like to know how to build a successful blog fast. They like study-case with real result to check.
All the best Loralee!
So excited to be working with you again Loralee:) I know I want to do a webinar so I want to get started on the techie side. What program would you recommend to host teh webinar and what program would you recommend to create the content for it? I am looking to do some research this weekend:) Thank you!
Start meeting or Instant Teleseminar might be the best fit for you. Will this be something you record and sell later?
Yes I will be recoding to sell later:) I will check those platforms out, thanks Loralee. What program should I you use to create the content?
Powerpoint or Keynote would work well if you have either of them already. You can create presentations in Google Docs (choose “presentation” instead of a word doc or spreadsheet). Pick a clean template that best matches your brands look & feel, add in your awesome Bodies by London logo to the page template & create your content. Let me know what tool you’ll use & I can put together a quick tutorial on how to use it.
Hi Loralee
I’m here, started working on my product today. I know part of my problem is that it starts out as one thing then ends up being another but without me ‘getting it out there’ – I’m sure I’m not the only one.
Shan
Sheesh, after sending my comment, I notice that my pic is not there and it is giving a very old write up about when I did blogging on fair divorce. There are a 100 steps to get in there and change it, something that will take me way off track today so please ignore for now.
I’ll see if I can fix this in the background for you Marilyn. My blog pulls in gravatar images that would be attached to your email address. If you go to http://www.gravatar.com and log in (probably with an old email address) you’ll be able to update to your new gorgeous photos & info for any other upcoming posts. Sound good?
First kudos to you Loralee. Fabulous site. I read every word and when you asked the first question, I immediately grabbed a pen and wrote out “What would I love to help my reader/customer with” and I couldn’t get the words down fast enough! I will use this in my product which I’m so excited about as I’ve kept the course and done my homeward, so obviously, I’ve hit on the one that is my passion and explains enough to keep me on track. I have my Apple Developer Licence to publish my own magazine for Apple’s Newsstand! I have my subject picked (hardest as I have so many ideas so I don’t cough, finish, cough any of them! I have written off for permission to authors I love to reprint content, have asked permission of photographers to use their pics, have designed my own cover which I LOVE, simply using a Mac program I have AND I am now getting my first 5 articles gathered and written. I had a Monday deadline to do this and the deadline got moved up. I need to finish by tomorrow! So this challenge has come right on schedule. This weekend I learn how to build my own App so my magazine can be viewed and bough by subscription. Without Loralee helping me through glitch after glitch in the past 5 years, I would not be where I am. I credit her on so many blog posts and I am honoured to have her in my life. It’s LOVE LORALEE day! (This is going in my http://www.lovebenefits.com blog post today.!
Hi Marilyn, Well done!. I have had a look at the Apple Newstand and aim to create a newsletter too. Are you using Pages to create your newsletter? Do you need to create and app so people can purchase the newsletter? if so, And what did you use to create your app so people can purchase the newsletter?
Thanks so much – you are a few steps ahead of me!
Thanks Deb for commenting. Yes, I need to build an App as that is where the magazine is downloaded from. I am learning from a team of guys so amazing that I’ve been able to follow. Loralee knows the years of glitches I have, and how many programs I couldn’t finish because there was not enoiugh info or it was way above me. I paid $3,000 for the course and they walk me through step by step. Interesting, I think it was also because it cost so much that I have the sticking power. Once I do this first mag, I can submit as many as I want and may need their help with building the new App. I will give you a link if you like for their next class. This one filled up right away. It is their second class and with the first, all their attendees got a magazine up!
Thanks Marilyn, yes love to know who you trained with – mind you i have spent so much money this year on all the technical training to get what I want to share with people off the ground – and yes it would be good to know who.
Good luck with yours Marilyn
Deb xxx
Oh and yes Deb, I’m using Pages. They suggested Keynote but my iStore trainer said I diidn’t have to buy another program and I never knew Pages could do so much!
Looking forward to this process and love how this is setup!
I have answered those questions (good ones) and feel a relief that they are small steps today. Tomorrow I’ll have more time and I’m looking forward to delving deeper.
I think you’re going to love tomorrow Kim! You might want to set aside an hour – 90 minutes. But you can also plan something fun for your weekend too! Most of this weekends steps don’t require a computer or technology 🙂
Excited to start this challenge with you, Loralee! My goal today is to outline my project. I have a couple of different directions I could go so I’m not setting anything in stone right now. But I am excited! 😀
Awesome Avery! I think you’ll really like tomorrows step (you’ve got a head start)